New Bolts in the Flatirons

By Dougald MacDonald

>For the first time in 13 years, two new bolted routes will be legally established in the Flatirons of Boulder, Colorado. Land managers banned fixed anchors in the Flatirons in 1991, but years of negotiations led by the Flatirons Climbing Council led to a memorandum of understanding last year with the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (OSMP) that created a pilot program for new bolted routes.

This spring, two new routes in the pilot area on Dinosaur Mountain were approved by the Flatirons Fixed Hardware Review Committee and by OSMP: a one-pitch 5.9 on the popular west face of Der Zerkle and a two-pitch 5.11+/12- on the south face of the Red Devil. Both routes are expected to be installed this summer.

It’s not all good news for climbers in the Flatirons, however. The OSMP has released a draft visitor plan that could place some Flatirons crags and bouldering areas off limits and could require permits for other crags. For more information about the bolting pilot program and climbers’ response to the draft visitor plan, see www.flatironsclimbing.com.

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